That Feeling

by Paula Jae Bacolod


Everyone all over the world has different opinions. We all have our likes and dislikes, however, I believe that everyone likes music. It is like nature already for everyone... There are different kinds of genre in music and of course, we all have different taste as well all over the world. When there is music, there is an artist, when there's an artist, there are fans.

The world can be fans of anything, a fan of food, a fan of books, a fan of an artist and a fan of music. A group or community of fans can be defined as a fandom. The most popular usage of fandom is when using it as a fandom of a band. When there are bands, boy bands, and other groups, there are fangirls and fanboys.

Retrieved from: http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/photos-fnjbnts6-1226323415893?page=24

In the Philippines, there is a term where no one can describe in English. My mom had said that there are no words that can be translated to that feeling.

"KILIG" is the word I am talking about.

Retrieved from: http://gifsoup.com/view/3035040/kilig-kilig.html

It is the feeling of having butterflies in your tummy and excitement built up inside you. When you can't control yourself and just want to shout because your crush just said hi or when you met someone new. It's the feeling like it is Christmas morning.

I know that most of us have experienced this, and for the fandoms all around, they have called this "fangirling".


Tune in for more about this! xx



Source:

Urban Dictionary (N/A) Retrieved from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fandom

More Than Just Romance

by: Katrina Dovey

                Food and Travel are two of the things I love the most; and my aim to share with you all is a taste of these two in just a few paragraphs. Every blog will be a new experience in a different place. Today, we are traveling to… France!

                 Even if a very devastating event just happened there a few weeks ago, France is still able to stand strong as one country. The beauty of this country is beyond words and being able to have a small taste of it would be an amazing experience.

                 Food- as it is in a lot of places- is a big part of French history and of course, its traditions. France has a lot of restaurants and cafes that are known to be some of the best in the world.

                 A great thing about France is that it possesses the same things it did from a century ago- From the Louvre that was established in 1792 and is already 223 years old, to the  Palace of Versailles which was opened in May 6, 1682 and is now 333 years old. France is a place full of history which is waiting to be discovered!

Photo credits: https://creative2curation.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/the-louvre-16.jpg

                A budget-friendly tip would be to stay in less tourist-ridden areas. Instead of staying in Paris, try having a vacation in Nice which is also a very beautiful vacation area in France and is in fact, one of the cheapest cities in Europe (56 European cities by price: Europe Backpacker Index for 2016, 2015). Something you could do in Nice is to visit the Nice Carnival which is actually an upcoming event and is happening on Feb 13, 2016 - Feb 28, 2016. “Around a million people flock to the Nice carnival each year. It runs a full fortnight in late February and is the biggest Mardi Gras bash in the South of France — in fact, one of the biggest carnivals in the world. Crowds line Nice’s famous coastal boulevard, the Promenade des Anglais, to see the grand parade of colorful floats and fight for the early spring blooms that fly through the air as part of the festival’s legendary 'battle of flowers.' (Nice Carnival, 2015) Nice also has the most museums in France so you could see a whole bunch of history right by your doorstep.

              If you do decide to visit Paris, you could rent a car and have a nice road trip! On the way you could stop by places like Yonne. “The landscape of the Yonne is one of small fields, vineyards, forests, and small scale agriculture on the undulating landscape. There are numerous rivers and small lakes that enhance the landscape and also provide opportunities for swimming, fishing and other activities.” (Yonne: Tourism and Sightseeing) It is 932 km journey away from Paris which is a 9 hour drive but it will all be worth it in the end after seeing all the beautiful lights of the city, the architecture, food, and all the treasures waiting to be found.

Photo credits: http://quartier-latin.education/index.php/about-france/parizh

             The recipe that I will be sharing with you today is a recipe that my family has been making for years. It is one of my favorite dishes I’ve ever made. The dish we are making today is the Cordon Bleu. 'Cordon Bleu' is a French term, literally translated as 'blue ribbon' that originally referred to an award for culinary excellence given to women cooks! The term can now apply to any superior cook (yes, men too), and also to this dish (chicken, ham and Swiss cheese slices, breaded and sautéed). This scrumptious version adds paprika and a creamy white wine sauce worthy of its own blue ribbon.

Ingredients: 

6 slices Swiss cheese
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

6 slices ham

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp paprika

6 tbsp butter

½ cup dry wine

1 tsp chicken bouillon granules

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Prep: 15 m

Cook: 45 m

Ready In: 1 h

Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Tip: Aluminum foil can be used to keep food moist, cook it evenly, and make clean-up easier.

Thank you for sharing this adventure with me today! I’ll see you next time on another adventure.

Sources:

http://www.priceoftravel.com/1979/european-backpacker-index/

https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/Attraction_Review-g187234-d8820312-Reviews-Nice_Carnival-Nice_French_Riviera_Cote_d_Azur_Provence.html

http://www.francethisway.com/regions/yonne.php

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/8669/chicken-cordon-bleu-ii/

Places Filipinos can visit without a Visa

by: Sandra Kahn 

As the New Year approaches, what better way to celebrate it by traveling to different countries that you probably did not know you could without needing a visa.

So I have gathered a list of 5 countries that we can visit with just our Philippines passport.

1) Brazil 

Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world. Famous for it's football (soccer) tradition and Christ the Redeemer, An Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, You can see this and more for up to 90 days

2) Peru

Peru is another country from South America, but its culture is very unique and diverse from that of others that you may get a culture shock when you first land here. The picture above is from Machu Picchu and it is full of houses, artifacts that are over 5,000 years old. But this is not the only thing that you will find here, Pack your biggest malete because you can stay here for 183 days!

3.) Israel

Israel is known for its religious devotion. Many Christians and Muslims visit to see the holy lands. Get to know all the sacred sites while you're here for 90 days. Not only can you unwind spiritually but physically too, take a dip in the Dead sea and let yourself relax on the saltiest sea on earth. 

4.) Fiji

Fiji is a place that I think I might enjoy the most. For 120 days, you can go scuba-diving or just lay down on the warm sand. It is full of beautiful beaches and marine life.

5.) Colombia

With the recent crowning of Miss Universe 2015, why not spend 180 days here and see the tourist spots that Colombia has to offer? Colombia is rich with diverse atmospheres. From the friendly village of Guatape to the lush hilltops of Zona Cafetera, this South American country is wealthy with culture.

References

http://wikitravel.org/en/Brazil

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/israel

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/fiji

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/244922/news/pinoyabroad/pinoys-can-visit-at-least-25-countries-without-visas-dfa

The Great Michelangelo Buonarroti

by: Bersano, Jazmen Rascyl

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am1MC9WGttI

I was going through various artworks by many talented and well known artists, and completely got captivated, or shall i call it "starstruck" by the way he, Michelangelo Buonarroti expressed himself through his master pieces. Truly a man gifted with an abundant amount of talent such as he is the type of person to look up to. A great artist, architect, poet and sculptor. Clearly anything related to art and literature was his passion, and through these talents he showcased his love, devotion and his creativity by portraying the likes of Gods and Goddesses, along with the creation of man, and even the likes of Heaven; from painting large scaled paintings to creating pristine statues (David and Piata was one of them) to painting the heavenly ceiling paintings of Rome's Sistine Chapel (one of his well known art work). It is for sure a great honour for a man such as he to have been well recognised as the: "Father and Master of All the Arts", and through this I can say that he indeed deserves such achievement after all the hard work he put into his career as an Artist, Architect, Poet and Sculptor.

As one of my favourite sculptures of Michelangelo, the "Piata" got me laid back and had me mesmerised by its utterly beauty. The way Mother Mary looked dreadfully hurt to see her son, Jesus Christ suffer such tremendous tortures from the people he came to save and renew, I can't help but just find myself in the verge of tears. I would most definitely not know the struggle and the pain Mother Mary has experienced as of that moment, for I have not even experienced having a child of my own... but this I can say that with just merely looking at this master piece, it doesn't seem as though she was angered by the crowed for having her son go through such criticism's but instead remained silent and just cried for the loss of her beloved son. In my opinion, if I were to go through the same circumstance as she had gone through, the moment she had lost her son, I would definitely have grown hatred towards them, and no single mercy shall I even show upon them, I might even condemn them for the preposterous whim and decision they had for him. This I know is a sin, to have hatred captivate you, but for me, I would not be surprised if I would have to deal with that kind of situation in a violent way, for I know how hard it is to lose a loved one, but what more for a mother who conceived her child in her womb for 9 months; what more for a mother that could not even go through a day without knowing that her son/daughter is okay; what more for a mother that cries everyday just praying for her child to be in the right and not in the wrong. I find it heartbreaking to see my mother cry for me, and i definitely feel shattered to see Mother Mary carrying her son and just grieving for her loss. But what also caught my attention was the fact that she looked as though she grieved for her son with great pried and joy, not with shame, but with pried and joy. 

Retrieved from: http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=543703&page=242

It's finally the Christmas season, the season where The Lord, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ was born unto this world to show us the path to light, to renew us from our dreadful sins and to convert us back to him, Our Father, Our God. This captivated me, for I found the means of Christmas all over again, though it was a different scenario the sculpture presented, it reminded me the ultimate joy Mother Mary along with St. Joseph (the father figure of Our Lord Jesus) felt when the Messiah, Jesus Christ was born unto this world. Nothing can compare to the way they both loved him instantly and to how they felt when he was born. And because of this, Christmas always reminds me that I am not just born unto this world for nothing, I was born and raised in this world for a reason, and one of them is to be a gift to my parents, to give them that ultimate joy that both Mother Mary and St. Joseph felt when baby Jesus was born. 


Source:

1. Bibliography.com Editors (N/A). The Bibliography.com Website: Michelangelo   Bibliography. Retrieved from: http://www.biography.com/people/michelangelo 9407628#related-video-gallery

A Short History of Hong Kong

By Joaquin Quiros 

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72__Mdioty8

I’m writing this from my hotel room in Hong Kong, and admiring the view of the city I was intrigued by the colonial history of Hong Kong and decided to do my research on this vibrant world city. Its name means “Fragrant Harbor” which I supposed it was 100 years ago. Hong Kong was, as we all know, once a possession of the British Empire. This was their spoil from winning the First Opium War in 1842 over the Qing Dynasty. The whole of Hong Kong was ceded in perpetuity to The British in 1860, until 1898 when Hong Kong and the New Territories were leased to The British for 99 years by The Qing Dynasty. Unlike Macau which was a Chinese territory under Portuguese governance Hong Kong essentially belonged to the British and did what they could to leave their mark on it. Hong Kong was a trading post, a Freeport which granted free trade.

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR5OnBM345w

As a center of international trade in Asia Hong Kong embodied capitalist ideals, it being a British colony also served well in its raised standards. Hong Kong served as a safe haven for Chinese citizens fleeing Mao’s Communist takeover in 1949 as well as the Cultural Revolution in the 60s. Upon arrival of these immigrants both foreign and from the mainland, Hong Kong’s economy thrived even further with the help of Enterprising mainlanders escaping communist laws, the first taipans such as William Jardine and James Matheson (the word “taipan” originated as a Cantonese slang term for big shots) whose trading firms still hold up even today, and various other foreign companies who sought greener pastures in Asia. These people all contributed to the vibrant culture of Hong Kong, adding so much spice from other cultures resulted in Hong Kong becoming a city where East truly meets West.

Retrieved from: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/hong-kong/things-to-do/shopping-in-hong-kong

As the 99 year lease on Hong Kong was set to expire the British attempted to negotiate with the Chinese for an extension or even giving up the New Territories but keeping Kowloon and Hong Kong to govern. The British, unlike the Portuguese were reluctant to give up their hold of Hong Kong as it was the most economically prosperous Asian colony that they possessed. The Portuguese on the other hand, viewed Macau as more of a chore to take care of, eventually they happily handed back to China as two friends would do a borrowed book or game. 1997 finally arrived and the Chinese had their eyes set on Hong Kong for its economic prosperity. The British had no choice but to lower the Union Jack on its last territory in Asia. After the handover the Chinese turned Hong Kong into a Special Administrative Region under the “One Country: Two Systems” policy, retaining their status as a Freeport and its capitalist way of life. Even some British names like Victoria Harbor, Nathan Road, Admiralty and Kennedy Town are still kept. Its future is yet to be seen as in 50 years or so Hong Kong is to be reintegrated back into the mainland, however seeing China embracing capitalism is a sign Hong Kong’s economic prosperity will never die out. 

Sources:

• www.discoverhongkong.com 
• www.lonelyplanet.com/china/hongkong/history 

Pinoy's Uniqueness

By: Sachiko Sasaki

Culture is way of living. It is also a path of believing that something or someone exist. You will know that it is a culture as long as a group of people agree with the idea of it and apply it with their daily basis. Culture is very significant, because I believe that culture represents what type of nationality and people we are by observing its knowledge, habit, manners, values, beliefs, law, etc. People could be aware what nationality we are and what country we were born and raised to. One of the examples of this is being a Filipino. There are a lot of amazing yet weird different types of cultures and practices that makes Filipinos totally unique.

Photo Credit: cherrymangos.blogspot.com

Filipinos appreciates and gives importance to their practices and traditions despite the fact that some of their practices these days are just inherited from the colonizers of the Philippines before, these are the Spanish, American and Japanese people. There are also some practices that came from the ideas of the Filipino ancestors. There are two magnificent examples that I will tell and show you about Filipino cultures that Filipino people still applies it right now. These are the 'Pagmamano' and 'Po and Opo'. Pagmamano is simply a gesture while Po and Opo are the noun words. Pagmamano is a practice of Filipino people to show respect to the elderly, same goes to saying Po and Opo to the elderly. Po is a polite word often used together with the sentence or statement whenever you are talking to someone that is older than you, while Opo is a nice and polite way to say 'yes' in terms of Filipino language. Filipinos are known as being hospitality and respectful type of people because of their delightful characteristics. Such as being kind, friendly and generous to their families, friends and to the people that they do not know as well.

Retrieved from: http://www.mommypracticality.com/2013/08/teaching-good-manners-and-values-to-children.html

PO AND OPO

I am a half Filipino and half Japanese 16 year old girl that is more fluent of being a Filipino rather than being a Japanese. I was born and raised in the Philippines, that is why I have adopted the Filipino type of attitude from what I have seen, heard and experienced from the people that was around me. Since I am living with my Mom here in the Philippines, I am with my Mom's family side as well and we have a provincial type of family. My family respect each other by treating and caing each other right. Especially doing pagmamano and saying po and opo to each and everyone to our family members. That is why I learned to apply these practices in my daily life with my family and friends that are always around me. Whenever I talk to someone older than me and especially to strangers, I talk to them with respect by adding Po and Opo on my statements, and of course the tone of how I speak should sound nice and sweet so that they would not misunderstood the feelings that I am trying to express and wont offend them.

Retrieved from: http://definitelyfilipino.com/blog/2013/05/wag-nang-mag-opo-part-ii/

PAGMAMANO

In Pagmamano, I usually do this every time I arrive from school to my house or from church to home and every time I visit my Lola's (Grandmother's) house as well. As soon as I get in to the house, I do this pagmamano to them by gently striking my Mom and my Lols's right hand onto my forehead as a sign for respect then they would eventually say "Kaawaan ka ng Diyos" which means "May God have mercy on you" in English. For me, this tradition is beautiful and very appropriate for the youth because it is basically asking for God's blessing and guidance. 

Retrieved from: http://tekapnoy.blogspot.com/2008/01/respecting-elders.html?m=1

Filipino people is rich in customs and traditions because modern Filipinos still apply it on their daily lives and make the most out of it and in my opinion that shows the real spirit of being a Filipino. How about you? Do you also do pagmamano and say po and opo to the elders? What do you think of the Filipino's cultures and practices?

Retrieved from: http://cherryblossoms24.deviantart.com/art/APH-The-Many-Philippines-256657245

Sources:

http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/culture-and-people/philippine-culture/culture-and-traditions/415-filipino-culture-customs-and-traditions

http://tekapnoy.blogspot.com/2008/01/respecting-elders.html?m=1

WELCOME

WELCOME TO THE MAZE OF WISDOM ! This is a place where we would like you to be able to endow yourselves with the beauty and the simplicity of various articles meant for you, our dear readers.